Thank God I've been hard-lining my expenses because I'm definitely going to have to get my new washing machine this week. The neighbours one is now broken. ARGH! Going to go pay the last of it off tomorrow. I hope they can deliver Fridaybecause I have a mountain of washing to be done.

I've got several dinners planned for the week that won't requiring more grocery shopping - just using items I already made this week (pesto, hummus, cashew ricotta) and beans I cooked, as well as some pantry items. I don't think I'll have to shop again til next week, unless I need to pick up more breakfast items... But either way, I won't be going as often as usual, and therefore less impulse buys! Yay! So far just around $150, and our budget is $400 for the month. Doing pretty well! If I can keep it under budget, all the better, because we are about to become seriously broke.

_________________when you realise how perfect everything is, you will tilt you head back and laugh at the sky. -buddha

I'm doing so well. I still have money in my wallet. I had €30 plus some change so I treated the dog to a new toy. I didn't get my waffle iron in the end because I had to fork out so much money for the washing machine. It will just have to wait another while.

I'd like to do two TJ's shopping trips (circa $100 each) plus assorted farmers markets etc ($50) and limit dining out to ($100) just for me and Leela. So $350 for the month.

So far one $140 TJs trip, $10 of farmer's market and $10 in snacks over the weekend. And its just the 9th....

And now it is the 15th (midmonth!) and I have an added $167 from Costco (3 months of cat food so it really shouldn't count) plus $12 in veg from Fairway, $5 from Target and $12 in babyfood I bought when I was sad and depressed and shopped for funsies.

This challenge is definitely making me pay more attention to money. I don't even want to eat out, because that seems so expensive in comparison to my shopping bills... Before this challenge, I'd often just "treat" myself, but it feels like less of a "treat" now.

And we're doing well on the food, esp because my partner has been eating the food I cook as well. Its been organic, whole, healthy foods made from scratch, so I feel really good about it. Plus not buying more than we need means that we waste a lot less bc I always know what we have. No more opening up a drawer to discover $10 of veg gone moldy.

For the last 2 weeks of the month, I still have plenty of rice pasta, another 2 loaves of bread, enough almond milk and plenty of green veg and beans to make good meals without needing another shopping trip, but I will be picking up a few things for specific events.

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

So far I got a lot of staples and produce for $100 earlier this month, I ate out once (so that was like 11 dollars?) and when the power went out I went out and got Veganaise, tortilla chips, soda and some cookies, which was about 12 dollars. So I think I'm doing pretty good! That's mostly for just me but I do share at least three meals a week or so with my sister and roommate, roughly, and I share any dessert I make. Hopefully for the rest of the month I'll only need to buy one or two things a week. For next month I'm going to get a slow cooker so I can buy dried beans in bulk, and I got a new job that is nowhere near a Starbucks so that eliminates that temptation.

I'm trying to be really good about making expensive things last, like not making fries and gobbling up all the Veganaise or putting earth balance and nooch on my popcorn (just salt and vinegar is actually really good).

_________________I was really surprised the first time I saw a penis. After those banana tutorials, I was expecting something so different. -Tofulish

I have been naughty and bought sweets in the local shop 2 or 3 times but it was using the loose change in my purse. I haven't dipped into extra money. Normally I take out €20 every fortnight for little things like that or collections at work but I didn't take it out last week at all. I had enough coins to keep me going for treats.

There is a collection at work I need to pay in to tomorrow but I will just use the €20 note I have left in my purse for that. The way I am going I'm not going to need it for anymore food shopping. I'm hoping they are only collecting €10 though because I really wouldn't mind buying some baking supplies. I'm now nearly out of baking powder and a life without baking powder is a life not worth living. I need new measuring spoons too. All I have left is my 1/2tsp spoon. The dog has managed to rob and chew the rest.

I stayed at $69 for shopping last week, but I spent $17 on Chinese take-away on Friday, because I was baking for an order non-stop from 7am to 12am and only stopped to sit once (to eat the take-away my husband brought back). I figured the extra money I was making on the massive order would justify one meal out. Even with that included I ended at $86 for the week. Not bad.

I spent last week on vacation and spent both less time and money away than I anticipated, so that was a nice plus of cutting my travels short. I'm trying to resist the urge to 1) go into supermarkets for little things 2) buy those little things anyway because I'm focusing on using my staple inventory, which includes a TON of brown and black rice from a food conference last month. Fortunately, today's the farmers market that matches $10 for $10 of food stamps, so I'll be coming home with a bunch to work with. My meals have been bean and rice based bowls and tacos this past week.

€60 ($80) groceries this week! Very nicely within the budget. BUT we went on a trip with my folks this weekend and took them out for dinner: €90! They payed for the hostel though, which was more expensive than the food so I felt like we owed them some compensation. It was a lot of fun too. We saw two types of eagles. In the Netherlands!

Hmmmmm, I just realised the handwash that I use is on special until tomorrow. I'm thinking I'm going to go in and buy a few bottles of it. It's half-price. I surely couldn't leave it there?! As it is, I need 2 of them anyway because I am out in the downstairs loo and the ensuite but I'm thinking of getting another 2 or 3 so I am in stock for a good long while. It will hardly be on special again soon.

Also I noticed Linda Mc sausages are on special too but I will stock up on them on the big shop at the weekend.

Just got all the food I *need* for the week between yesterday and today. $22.60 or so. (off by maybe a few pennies or a dime)2 half gallons of unsweetened almond milk, cereal, 3 green peppers, black eyed peas because I'm using most of them today, light coconut milk, celery, butternut squash ($.49/lb!!), garlic, ginger and a serrano pepper. Probably something else I'm forgetting at the moment. Pretty good, I think! I'll probably end up back at a grocery store later this week, but I'm happy with this amount. :)

We're almost out of VWG, so last week I placed our big trimonthly online order at the miller's shop. We get most of our nuts and flour from them and the delivery cost is the same for amounts up to 60 pounds, so it's usually a big order. Managed to keep it down to €100 this time (last time it was €150), so that's not to bad. This should last us 3 months, so that's about €8 ($10) per week for all our nuts, flour and seitan. Most of our bread, meat subs and snacks come out of that supply, so I think the money is well spent.

Midway through the month we're at about $180, which is not including money spent on food when we were on a vacation for a couple days. I would love to cook whilst on vacation but that's not usually an option in cheap hotels. I have a feeling we will go over this month, but I'll still be trying to keep costs low of course. I think part of the reason is that when I give my boyfriend a list and send him to do shopping, he tends to come back with a bunch of extra stuff. It's not like we don't use the extra stuff, because it's usually snacks and other nice things like that, but it doesn't necessarily pack the most bang for its buck, y'know? I also don't think he worries about watching the price tags as much, since he still has a good job and can afford to eat more than just lentils and rice, but I have a feeling he'd be surprised at how high the numbers are if we really sat down and combed through the food-related expenses from the last couple months line by line.

I've spent about $100 so far which is sad when you consider I started on the 10th :( I should be fine for another week or two with what I have now, though. The occasional 5 bucks may be spent on lunch at school (they make the best vegan veggie burgers here!) but I am cool with that because I got a little birthday money. So that's like unaccounted for and everything. Right? Anyway, I'll have to make it work, because next paycheck is gonna be gone is one swoop: brother is getting it for the Big E (I owe him for his birthday a while ago).

I spent €10.21 in Tesco today. 4 bottles of handwash and two bottles of shower gel because they were on special. At least I am sorted for shower gel and handwash for a long while. Also got soya milk in that shop for work because I forgot to bring some as usual.

I'd like to do two TJ's shopping trips (circa $100 each) plus assorted farmers markets etc ($50) and limit dining out to ($100) just for me and Leela. So $350 for the month.

So far one $140 TJs trip, $10 of farmer's market and $10 in snacks over the weekend. And its just the 9th....

And now it is the 15th (midmonth!) and I have an added $167 from Costco (3 months of cat food so it really shouldn't count) plus $12 in veg from Fairway, $5 from Target and $12 in babyfood I bought when I was sad and depressed and shopped for funsies.

For the last 2 weeks of the month, I still have plenty of rice pasta, another 2 loaves of bread, enough almond milk and plenty of green veg and beans to make good meals without needing another shopping trip, but I will be picking up a few things for specific events.

On September 21st I went to TJ's to get cream cheeze and ended up doing my big shop early. I spent $100, even though I didn't buy a lot of the more processed stuff (no tofurkey slices or tofu burgers ($2.99 for 2)). I did get plenty of veg and greens.

And then I went to WF instead of going out to lunch and got $11 of food for a picnic - 1 apple ($3.99/lb honey crisp), a loaf of bread, Daiya wedges and a bottle of carrot juice. Yikes! And then I spent another $10 at the farmer's market.

So I have blown my budget and spent about $400, but I should have food to last me into October. I definitely spent less than I would have if I hadn't been watching as hard. And we didn't eat out this month, which was a big savings. One dinner for us at Veggie Heaven is always around $50.

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

I've gone over budget for this month and haven't been cooking as much as I would like, so I end up spending more on convenience foods. I don't know about you guys, but stress makes it harder for me to make sensible purchases when I shop for groceries or plan meals to use up what I have.

_________________Again, you are all brilliant and sexy. And I am lavender-laden and secure in my masculinity. - Sir Brancis Facon